Nurses, doctors, orderlies, physical therapists and other caregivers working and assisting patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care environments are frequently called upon to assist in patient transfer. The process of transferring a sick, invalid or bedridden patient from a bed to another horizontal surface, such as a gurney, stretcher, or examination table, is frequently time-consuming and cumbersome, and typically involves more than one person to assist in the transfer. Such patient transfers can also be physically demanding and require much physical strength, painful or even injurious, for both the patient and the person(s) assisting the transfer. The difficulties encountered by caregivers in moving a bedridden patient in a home care setting can frequently result in the decision to move the patient from home to a hospital, nursing home, or skilled nursing care facility, and hence, result in incurring much greater health care expenses and emotional distress to both caregiver and patient.
There is therefore a need in the art for a lightweight, portable, patient transfer device that can be employed by one person to transfer a patient, without requiring considerable strength or skill.
Citation or identification of any reference in Section 2, or in any other section of this application, shall not be considered an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.